Four Wildcats earn All-West Region honors

Nevarez, named to Second Team, finally gets his due

Ryan Nevarez finally got his due. Ferid Celosmanovic, Chris Akwaja and Zach Bradford keep getting theirs. Nevarez, the Chico State men’s soccer team’s captain, sat and watched from his banquet table while the members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Conference team shook hands, high-fived, and posed for pictures prior to the Conference Championship Tournament in early November.

In the eyes of his coaches and teammates, he belonged up there.

There’s no banquet to honor the members of the Daktronics All-West Region team. No problem. Nevarez, Celosmanovic, Akwaja, and Bradford can exchange high-fives amongst each other. Celosmanovic and Akwaja each received First Team All-West honors and Bradford and Nevarez were Second Team selections by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Nevarez has been a consummate teammate, switching positions in each of his three years with the Wildcats to help the team succeed. He’s been a warrior, battling through injuries for much of this season. And he’s been a stud. He’s the team’s active leader in career assists with nine, including four this season, and he’s helped anchor a defense that’s allowed fewer than four shots on goal per game.

Celosmanovic, the CCAA’s Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, ranks among the nation’s leaders with 13 goals. Akwaja, who joined Celosmanovic as a First Team All-CCAA selection, tallied nine times. Bradford, an Honorable Mention All-CCAA selection, is coming off the best weekend of his career. He scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to play to lift the Wildcats to a thrilling 2-1 win in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional. Bradford also scored in a 2-0 win against Sonoma State Friday night and was named the Regional’s Most Valuable Player.

The Wildcats will be back in action Saturday when they host Midwestern State at 1 p.m. in an NCAA Championship Tournament Quarterfinal game.